The aim of the article is to contribute knowledge about student participation in teaching as an aspect of student health in school. Teaching is approached as an everyday democratic process that affects individual health, the health of a democratic society and young people’s experiences and attitudes towards democracy. Interviews conducted with high-achieving girls experiencing school-related stress in a Swedish upper secondary school are analysed using the Student Participation in Teaching Model as a methodological framework. The results indicate that the students mainly experience participation as being informed and suggest other dimensions of participation, such as reciprocal responsibility and communication. It is concluded that the teaching itself is a vital dimension of individual and societal democratic health and that this should be emphasised more in teaching practice.